Unlocking the secrets of Southern Great Barrier Reef tourism

A NEW holiday planner for the Southern Great Barrier Reef has been released to promote the region as a premier tourism destination.

The publication is the result of a partnership between Capricorn Enterprise and peak tourism bodies in Gladstone and Bundaberg which began in 2011.

It's branded partnership has proven to be a successful approach with successive Queensland Tourism Awards for Destination Marketing in 2015 and 2016 and the latest Tourism Research Australia figures showing new domestic and international visitor records.

To the year ending September 2018, 152,000 international visitors to the SGBR spent a total of $106.7 million which was a 15.3% increase over the previous year.

More than two million domestic visitors represented an increase of 10.2 per cent and $1.2 billion spent was an increase 17.3 per cent, a new annual record for the SGBR.

Blackdown Tableland National ParkCapricorn Enterprise

The new holiday planner is the second edition and highlights major drive touring routes including Pacific Coast Way, Capricorn Way, Great Inland Way, Australia's Country Way and Leighhardt Way.

The publication showcases sweeping imagery with a focus on hero experiences, major festivals and events, along with national parks and sandstone wilderness, supported by advertising from accommodation, tours and attractions.

Capricorn enterprise chief executive Mary Carroll said they were very proud of the beautiful destination guide which had been four months in the making, project managed and designed by "our talented marketing team at Capricorn Enterprise"

"The collaborative Southern Great Barrier Reef Holiday Planner showcases the strengths of visitor experiences through inspirational content," she said.

"It will be a key piece used at consumer and trade shows in capital cities and regional centres including Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane over the next twelve months."

Last year, more than 13,000 copies of the Southern Great Barrier Reef guide were delivered direct to households on the Sunshine Coast, to Visitor Information Centres in NSW along the major highway touring routes entering Queensland and to the 26 CQUniversity campuses around Australia.